I've read a few of Sarah Goodwin's books now and she's quickly becoming a must-read kind of author for me.
And this was just as entertaining and absorbing as her previous books.
My only real issue was how unlikeable all of the characters were. I was hoping there would be some character development which would make me change my mind but sadly they were all pretty much the worst.
Even the main character was so frustrating at times.
But the story itself kept me hooked, as did how claustrophobic it felt at times.
The pacing was good and there were some nice twists as well.
I also feel like, given the setting, this would be a great holiday/beach book too.
I definitely can't wait to see what Sarah Goodwin does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! This would be a great beach read - maybe not on a yacht though! I will be recommending to my friends as they make beach trips this year.

I’m a huge lover of this author, and would encourage trying reading some of the books that Goodwin has written, but this book just didn’t cut it for me.

I may be in a reading slump but lately no books are landing safely on my radar. This book was good but I didn’t particularly like the characters so it just was a meh read for me. I wanted more

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. One of my go to authors so was sooooo eaxcited! :)

I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.

My full review is to follow in a few days.....

The Yacht
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Sarah Goodwin

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES… New Year’s Eve, 2023 . When Hannah and her friends rent a luxury yacht in an Italian marina, they party in style under the stars until they pass out. …WHO WILL SINK… The next morning , they are horrified to find they have been cut adrift into the open ocean, with no sight of land and no fuel in the engine. And that’s when the first person goes missing… …AND WHO WILL SWIM?

My Thoughts: Hannah’s friends are throwing this luxurious party on a fancy yacht, which she is very much looking forward to. However, she gets a frosty reception from some. Most of the attendees are wealthy and do not hesitate to flaunt their money as the alcohol seeps in party guests. Hannah is not wealthy like her friends, she is barely getting by, and at times feels out of place. Everyone soon finds out that money can’t get you out of all situations. The yacht party was meant to be held at the docked at the marina, but somehow they were cut from the marina with no captain, no gas and no land in site. Couple this with a person missing and it sets the stage for an excellent thriller. This was the perfect atmospheric claustrophobic psychological thriller.

There were six passengers that came aboard the yacht. Hannah has been friends with Libby and Maggie since childhood, although their lives have taken different paths. Libby and her husband Ollie are highly successful and ridiculously wealthy. Maggie has had great success in the fashion industry and married Leon. Hannah has struggled since college to find her path and is definitely not wealthy. Lastly, we have Harry joining the crew, a successful artist. I did not know who to trust. None of the characters were reliable, they were not likable, and had questionable behaviors. Hannah had the most character growth and narrates this story, through her POV, which I really appreciated. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, and were intriguing, to say the least. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, tense, twisty, and creative. I love Goodwin’s writing style, she creates the perfect psychological thriller environment and knows how to capture her readers.

This was a gripping, captivating story of who can survive against the odds. Goodwin hooked me with the first sentence and it never wavered any. Usually these types of books are slow burn or repetitive, not here, the story has an amazing pace and flow from cover to cover. Some of the twists had twists and turns. An amazing heart stopping ending that I did not see coming. I highly recommend picking up this book!!!!

Imagine spending New Year's Eve on a luxury yacht with your best friends. Hannah is the poor friend who drives herself all the way to Italy to attend. But some guests aren't thay happy to see her. With a small, exclusive list of people and plenty of drink to keep them entertained, it'd a night to remember. But then things go south.

I really enjoyed this although I hated some of the characters. A fantastic thriller.

I love all of Sarah Goidwins thrillers. She never fails to entertain me - The Yacht was no exception - Fast , paced fun and exciting I couldn’t put this down! loved it !

Hannah has been best friends with Libby and Maggie since they were kids. As they've aged into adulthood though, their lifestyles have taken them in different directions. Libby and her husband Ollie are incredible wealthy. Maggie, a successful fashion designer, and her husband, Leon, are quite wealthy as well.

Then there's Hannah, who has struggled since Uni. She's not flat broke or anything, but in comparison to the other two gals, she's definitely the 'poor' friend. Hannah would be lying if she said that the differences didn't make her self-conscious. They do, but they're her oldest and dearest friends. They love her really. Don't they?

For New Year's Eve, Libby decides to throw an intimate party on their yacht, located at a marina in Italy. It will be just her, her husband, Ollie, Maggie, Leon, Hannah, and their other dear friend, Harry, a recently successful artist.

Hannah is excited, but also anxious. It's just another chance for Libby to rub her nose in their money. Nevertheless, Hannah decides to go and make the best of it. Of course, she has to drive like 11-hours, or something ridiculous to get there, because she can't afford the plane fare.

The party is...let's say, eventful. By the time Hannah gets herself to her cabin that night, she's happy to be away from the lot of them. She's ready for morning to come so she can get the hell out of there and never look back. As she awakes the next day, hungover and anxious to leave, Hannah makes a startling discovering. The yacht, previously docked at the marina, has now been set free. They're adrift, unpowered, with no harbor in sight.

The New Year's Eve party has suddenly turned into a desperate fight for survival, but how and why? When someone disappears, the stakes are raised even higher? Is there a murderer in their midst? Will any of them survive, or will they all go down with the ship?

The Yacht is the epitome of a Popcorn Thriller. We have an exciting destination, an OTT-circumstance, an unlikable group of characters and a fast-paced race to the end. I had a lot of fun reading this. I enjoyed Hannah's perspective. There were times, of course, when I wanted to shake her, but I was also fully in her corner. Some of these other characters were absolutely reprehensible and I wanted to get away from them as badly as Hannah did.

I enjoyed how Goodwin truly turned this one into a survival story, in the truest sense of the term. That bit was unexpected and I liked that she actually took it there. I was happy to go along with Hannah on this journey. Even though my heart broke for her at times, particularly in the last couple of scenes, I was pleased with her growth and the ultimate conclusion. I would recommend this one to any Reader who loves OTT-dramatic, messy friendship stories. Particularly if you are into Survival Thrillers.

Thank you to the publisher, Avon, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to more from this author!

Reading Between the Wines book review #14/130 for 2024:
Rating: 2 🍷 🍷
Book: The Yacht
Author: Sarah Goodwin
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: I was so ready to find out what happened to these characters on this yacht. I especially love a good, locked room thriller. However instead of floating this story sunk for me. There were so many unanswered questions and parts that were so repetitive. I really wanted to like this book, but I just could not. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because it kept my interest but did not pull out any major surprises.

Cheers and thank you to @AvonBooksUK and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @TheYacht.

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You can’t like everyone can you. I didn’t really like anyone in the yacht but I loved the book. Being in a boat can be claustrophobic but with a killer on board doubly scary. Made me want to swim for shore!

Boats are a scary idea and worked perfectly with a psychological thriller novel. The characters were everything that I was hoping for from this genre. I always enjoyed the locked-room setting for thrillers and this was another winner for that type of book. I enjoyed how good Sarah Goodwin wrote this and used the no were to run element in this book.

This book missed the mark for me. The characters were deplorable, and not in a “love to hate” kind of way. I just hated them! The main character had some redeeming qualities, but man, some of her choices were questionable and dumb!

I was intrigued with the storyline, but I felt the book could’ve been shorter. It was off to a good start in the beginning, but the middle slowed down for me. The end picked back up, and I did not predict the big twist at the end. That was the saving grace for this book in my opinion. I did find myself wanting to know how it would end once I was invested. I would like to try another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

wow! i am blown away by this book!! it was just so fun and exciting and thrilling and wonderful!! thank you so much to netgalley for letting me have an early copy!!

I’ve read a few of Sarah Godwin’s books and really enjoyed them. This one certainly didn’t disappoint. It was so good.

Hannah had been invited by her friend Libby to spend New Year on her luxury yacht which was moored in an Italian harbour. Hannah was looking forward to seeing Libby and her other friends Harry and Maggie but also felt some trepidation. Hannah felt her lifestyle didn’t measure up to theirs but they had been friends since school.

The party was in full flow with the four friends and Libby’s husband Olly and Maggie’s fiancé Leon. Hannah overheard a few remarks that Olly made about her but tried to not let him ruin her evening.

The evening ended badly as there was bickering and fighting between the group and Hannah got fed up hearing Olly bad mouthing her and when Libby didn’t defend her, she went to bed.

When she rose the next morning Hannah intended to sneak off the yacht and drive back to the UK. She discovered that they were no longer moored and they were in fact out at sea. The situation just kept getting worse, everyone was fighting and they were running out of options fast!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Yacht follows a group of friends celebrating New Years Eve on a yacht when things start to go wrong. The first third of the book lost it's shock value as the key things that happened were given away in the book synopsis but I still enjoyed reading it. I would have given a higher score if I'd been taken by surprise earlier on! It's hard to give a full review without giving spoilers but the author did an excellent job at helping me to visualise the situation that was unfolding. I could clearly picture the setting throughout the book which really helped me to get into the story. Some of the characters are just awful and I thought it showed an interesting take on adults that have maintained friendships from their childhood but no longer bring them any happiness. I've read a few books by this author now and they are always page turners that I finish within a few days of starting so would definitely read more.

Hannah has planned to spend New Years Eve at a party with two of her former school friends, both married and wealthy, while Hannah is single and doing a job she doesn’t enjoy. The party takes place on a yacht in the south of France where Hannah begins to learn more about her friends as the party takes an unexpected turn.

While I really enjoyed the premise of this novel and appreciated the fast-paced twisty turns, I struggled to engage with the characters so did not find the story as impactful. However, I will continue to read books by this author.

After reading Stranded by Sarah Goodwin you BET I was going to read this as well! And it did not disappoint! A bunch of friends parting on New Years Eve on a luxury yacht and go adrift. A bit of a different locked room concept but I loved it! Full of more twists and turns than a tsunami can throw at you! Such a fun book and it literally kept me gripped until the end!

Amazing story. Just couldn't put it down. Scary and dark and makes you wonder about people more and more.
Great characters.

I have read and enjoyed all of Sarah Goodwin's books and The Yacht is no exception. A brilliant murder mystery aboard a stunning mega yacht. Get lost in this beautiful world xx